Whenever we're dealing with bad news, a difficult person, or a disappointment of some kind, most of us get into certain habits, ways of reacting to life-particularyadversity-that don't serve us very well. We
overreact, blow things out of proportion, hold on too tightly, and focus on the negative aspects of life. When we are immobilized by little things-when we are irritated, annoyed, and easily bothered-our
(over-) reactions not only make us frustrated but actually get in the way of getting what we want. We lose sight of the biggest picture, focus on the negative, and annoy other people who might otherwise help us. In short, we live our lives as if they were onegreat big emergency! We often rush around looking busy, trying to solve problems, but in reality, we are often compounding them. Because everything seems like such a big deal, we end up spending our lives dealing with one drama after another. After awhile, we begin to believe that everything really is a big deal. We fail to recognize that the way we relate to our problems has a lot to do with how quickly and efficiently we solve them.
Happily, there is another way to relate to life-a softer, more graceful path that makes life seem easier and the people in it more compatible.
When you 'don't sweat the small stuff,' your life won't be perfect, but you will learn to accept what life has to offer with far less resistance. As we learn in the Zen philosphy, when you learn to "let go" of problems instead of resisiting with all your might, your life will begin to flow. You will, as the serenity prayer suggests, "Change the things that can be changed, accept those that cannot, and have the wisdom to know the difference".
